Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, has issued in his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, a resolution establishing the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), to which the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) will be affiliated.
According to the resolution, the MBRSC is mandated to develop research, projects and studies on space, in a way that will support UAE’s drive for advancing this sector and for building national capabilities related to space knowledge and science.
The centre will oversee preparations and implementation of all phases of the UAE mission to Mars, where the UAE will be sending an unmanned spacecraft by 2021, coinciding with the country’s 50th anniversary. The mission was announced by Shaikh Mohammad last year.
Meanwhile, last week, Shaikh Mohammad called on his Twitter followers to name the Mars probe.
The MBRSC will also work on all projects related to science and applications of satellites, as well as other advanced technology projects assigned to it by the relevant authorities.
EIAST was created and established by the Dubai Government in 2006. According to EIAST’s mission statement, EIAST comprises a team of leading UAE engineers, analysts and experts, all working towards positioning the UAE as an internationally renowned leader within the field of science and technology. By developing new technology, expertise, and intellectual property, it is hoped that the UAE can emerge as a global front-runner within the industry.
